Are you one of the millions of recreational scuba divers who learned
the hobby from a PADI instructor? If so, congratulations. The FBI now
has you in its sights.

PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) is the world's
largest recreational diving membership organization. Its membership
includes dive shops, resort facilities, academic institutions,
instructor trainers, dive educators, divers and snorkelers.
Professional PADI Members (dive centers, resorts, educational
facilities, instructors, assistant instructors and divemasters) teach
the vast majority of the world's recreational divers, issuing nearly
946,000 certifications each year, with 2 out of every 3 new divers in
the US certified by PADI annually.

PADI just sold out its entire US membership. Without even asking the
FBI to produce a court order or subpoena, PADI handed its entire
membership database over to the FBI to "assist" them in the quixotic
search for mythical al Queda skin-diving terrorists.

Please consider that PADI doesn't conduct Navy SEAL training courses.
PADI teaches recreational scuba diving under controlled conditions, in
calm water, to beginners.The likelihood of any PADI trainee being able
to navigate the often treacherous waters around warships, piers and
harbors attaching limpet mines to all and sundry is so unlikely as to
approach science fiction.

In an email to a complaining member, the feckless and cowardly PADI
vice-president in charge of government relations attempted to justify
his organization's actions (I've blanked out the member's name and
email address.)

Thank you for contacting me regarding the FBI investigation. We share
your personal liberties concerns and the privacy issue was an
important consideration in addressing the FBI's request. At the same
time, we were aware of at least one dive store owner who had told an
FBI agent visiting his store that he was too busy to spend time
compiling his records; the agent returned within several hours with a
subpoena for the records. As you probably know, if our certification
records were subpoenaed, we would be unable to demand any restrictions
on the use of that information.

Faced with that scenario, we decided the best approach was to
cooperate, as long as the FBI agreed to certain conditions. Prior to
our complying with their request, we received the FBI's agreement
that: 1) this information is the proprietary property of PADI and its
members; 2) it was provided to the FBI Counterterrorism Division for
the express and single purpose of investigation into possible
terrorist activities using scuba; 3) the information would not be used
for any other purpose, and: once the Counterterrorism Division had
completed its investigation, the information would be returned to
PADI.

I hope that this explanation demonstrates that we tried to do our very
best to protect the privacy of PADI divers, in light of the very real
likelihood of being subpoenaed for this information if we did not
cooperate.

So, the courageous Mr. Nadler "tried to do his best" to protect the
privacy of PADI divers, did he? Then why didn't Mr. Nadler politely
request that the FBI obtain a subpoena for his membership database and
then challenge the subpoena in a court of law? If this is "protecting"
his membership, then Vidkun Quisling did an excellent job of
"protecting" Norway from the Nazis.

The so-called "guarantees" that Mr. Quisling, excuse me, Mr. Nadler
received from the FBI are laughable.

The FBI agrees that the database is proprietary? Did Nadler think that
the FBI would sell it to the YMCA?

The FBI crossed their heart and hoped to die that its PADI research
would only concern terrorism? Did he get that in writing?

The FBI will "return" the database when they are done with it? Did
they take the only copy PADI had? Will Mr. Nadler personally wipe the
FBI's computers of his precious PADI database?

This is a truly sad day for a once proud organization. I learned to
dive years ago from a PADI instructor and it was a fun and
exhilarating experience. The quality of instruction was superb and
exceedingly safe. But now, I'd urge PADI members to resign and switch
allegiance to an organization such as the YMCA which might not be so
contemptuous of what it means to be an American and might have a
better regard for its membership.

Be aware that this is only one incident in what will surely be a
continual attack on your privacy and in the end, your freedom. PADI
may have been the first to cave, but they surely won't be the last.

As this juggernaut of hysteria rolls on, we may be able to do little
to stop it, but surely we can deny support to those who aid and abet
the real terrorists.